


Love is... Patience

by and_what_the_hell_is_love



Series: The Witcher: Love is... [1]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Eventual Romance, M/M, No Fluff, No Sex, No Smut, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-23 06:34:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23173891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/and_what_the_hell_is_love/pseuds/and_what_the_hell_is_love
Summary: Part 1 of the Witcher Love is... Series
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: The Witcher: Love is... [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1672705
Kudos: 11





	Love is... Patience

**Author's Note:**

> Part 1 of the Witcher Love is... Series

As he stepped into the small tavern, heads couldn't help but turn their heads to the slam of the door. And once they noticed him, a silence sharp enough to split diamonds filled the small lodge. But before anyone could do or say anything against the witcher, a melodious voice rang out his name and lured the patrons' attention to the center of the room, where a familiar face stood out from the sea of strangers.

After the eyes were called off him, the witcher made his way to the bar, where a pretty barkeep was wiping the counter of spilt wine and ale. She cocked her head when she saw the witcher, and a small smirk spread across the young woman's face. 

"I've never served a Witcher before," she said. "I hope you ain't picky with your poison."

He grunted and layed a few coins on the counter. "I'll take whatever you'll give me for these."

The woman took the money saying, "I've some stout, if that suits your fancy."

The witcher nodded, and the woman fixed the drink. She handed him the mug and nodded her head in the direction of the exuberant man in the center of the room. "I believe he called you when you walked in, did you hear him?"

The witcher nodded, so she continued, "He's been singing of you all night, White Wolf. Do you know him?"

"Unfortunately," Geralt said. As the bard finished his song, he caught sight of the witcher and smiled, slinging his lute around to his back. Geralt turned back to the woman, who was now taking another man's drink. Behind him, he could hear the bard's light steps coming closer until the younger man slapped his hand onto the witcher's shoulder.

"If it isn't the hero of my verses himself! Making an appearance to wish his very best friend the greatest of luck tonight, are we?" said the bard.

"Jaskier," the witcher said, turning to face the younger man.

"Well hello to you too, Geralt. You know, you could actually pretend to be happy to see me," said the bard with a smile threatening to break through his hurt guise. Geralt shook his head and turned his attention back to his drink. 

"It's no matter, I'm actually glad you're here, my friend. You see, I may have a job for you," he said, sitting beside the witcher.

Geralt looked to the man, seeing his bright blue eyes shimmering with excitement. Jaskier continued, "Ah! See! I knew that'd get your attention."

"Details, Jaskier," Geralt said.

"Right, right. Do you see that man over there? The one in green beside the door?" The bard asked, pointing to the said man. Geralt nodded.

"Right," Jaskier continued, "well, he said he found his daughter dead out in the woods. Ripped in half, he said, with her head missing. Now I've been talking to other locals, and this isn't the first time this has happened. A couple weeks ago, another girl was found the same way. Ripped down the middle without a head. See I was thinking, maybe we could --"

"We?" The witcher interrupted.  
The bard smiled, "Yes, we."  
"No," Geralt said, refusing to let the younger man finish. The bard sighed and crossed his arms.  
"Excuse me, Geralt, but I am most definitely coming with you," Jaskier said, letting a hint of desperation come through with his voice.  
"You're not."  
"Geralt, the songs I could make out of a beast like this are infinite. I am not going to let this opportunity go. Just imagine it! 'The White Wolf: A Hero of Skellige!' Oh Geralt, I can see it now!" The bard exclaimed.  
The wonder on the young man's voice almost caused a smile to dance across the witcher's lips, but it was the same wonder that solidified the older man's response. "You're not coming, Jaskier."  
Amusement filled the bard's blue eyes. "You say that now, Geralt of Rivia, but you do know I'll still be joining you."  
"I know," The witcher said gravelly.  
~~~~~~~~~  
The next morning, warm beams of sunlight shined through the bedroom's windows as Geralt rose with the dawn. Jaskier lied still asleep while the witcher was rummaging through his bags, making sure he had everything he may need for his upcoming fight.

The bard had been kind enough to share his room with the witcher, a room Geralt was happy to have as the inn wouldn't serve "his kind." And although he enjoyed the warmth and comfort of a real bed, the witcher was now regretting his choice of spending the night with the bard, as he was afraid he wouldn't be able to leave the room without waking the young man.

Geralt had hoped he would be able to leave silently and slay the beast all while Jaskier slept, but his hopes were diminished as soon as he heard the bard stir behind him.

The witcher took this as a sign to leave, despite the other man's protests. Geralt had almost made off with Roach when he heard the inn's door slam and the bard's footsteps coming quickly behind him.

"You thought you could leave me, didn't you. Well jokes on you, because you need me!" The bard exclaimed, prodding his finger into the witcher's arm as he caught up to him.

"And why is that?" The older man inquired, leading his mare down the muddy roads.

The bard smiled a-matter-o-factly and said, "because I know where the victim's father lives."

"The man in green?" Geralt asked.

"Precisely," Jaskier said. "His name is Jarro, and he lives right over there."

The witcher followed his gaze to where the bard was pointing, and headed for the house.

Upon their arrival, a burly man came out of the aforementioned house carrying a small bouquet of yellow flowers.

"Excuse me," Jaskier called to the man. The man looked to the duo, and a small hopeful smile glimmered at his lips. Jaskier continued on, "This is my friend I was telling you about. The witcher. He's here to rid these lands of your foul beast and seek justice for your daughter."

The father looked to the witcher, only to get a nod in response. Jaskier led the man inside his own home, and Geralt let the bard handle the conversation. A short while later, Jaskier came out of the house with a confidant gate and headed straight past the witcher.

Geralt grabbed the bard's shoulder and glared down at him. "Where are you going?"

"I can't tell you," the bard said, shrugging the hand off his shoulder. "Because if I do, you'll run off to slay the beast without me. So, Geralt of Rivia, Mighty White Wolf, you're going to just have to follow me."

The witcher narrowed his eyes at the young bard, but let him lead them through the town and into the woods.

Not long after, the witcher could start to faintly smell blood, and as they headed deeper into the forest, the scent became stronger until they were standing in a clearing that reeked of not only recent blood, but of ancient blood also. The witcher realized people had been getting murdered in this spot for years, and to the beast, today would be no different.

After taking in his surroundings, the witcher understood the brute he would be up against. The claw marks on the trees, the tracks leading in and out of the clearing, the fur left behind, and a foul stench hidden within the smell of blood pointed to only a few creatures. Those facts, coupled with the targets and sheer strength of the attacker left only one beast in the witcher's mind.

"Sooooo, where is it?" A voice asked, disrupting the witcher's thoughts. "I mean, I thought the beast would be here but...I don't see anything. Could you imagine if we saw something completely unimaginable. Like a dragon, or a hydra, or a--"

"Berserker," said the witcher grimly.

The bard carried on, "Yes, I suppose a bersekerer would be interesting, but what if--"

"No, Jaskier. That's what we're up against," Geralt said.

"Oh, I didn't realize those actually existed. This will be an amazing fight, don't you think Geralt? I mean, I've never seen you fight a berserker before, and I'm sure many of my fans would love to hear this story," said the bard, surprised to find Geralt not interupting him to tell him to shut up.

The witcher instead simply ignored him, and instead looked for a safe spot for the bard to watch from. To the east, he spotted a small rock formation that seemed to be empty and sturdy. He ordered the younger man to wait there until the fight was over, and with some mild arguing, the bard obliged.

After hours of waiting, Jaskier called to the witcher from his hiding spot asking, "When is this beast coming, Geralt? Maybe we scared it of. That would be a shame."

"Patience, Jaskier," said the witcher as he motioned for the bard to retreat back to safety.

Another five minutes passed when Geralt could finally hear a heartbeat other than his bard's. A heart beating much faster, with much more blood coursing thought it's veins.

No longer could be hear the calm shallow breathing of the younger man, but instead heard rough ragged breaths coming from the south. Coming from the town.

Then he could smell it. Jaskier's sweet smell of cedar wood and raspberries slowly became over run with a stench of blood, sweat, and death until he could only catch small breezes of his friend's scent coming from the east.

And finally, it was upon him. A bear-like creature more than double the size of any bear he had seen before. It's brown fur was matted with dirt and blood. It's powerful teeth were stained yellow and red. It's paws were four times larger than his head, and adorned with razor sharp claws. And when he saw this beast towering before him, his mind wandered back to his friend, who he hoped would go undetected by the warebear.

The fight wasn't magnificent, and the witcher had taken a few hits. But in the end, it was the White Wolf who came out on top, and the beastly brown bear who had been slain.

From atop his inlet, Jaskier called for his witcher once again, asking if it was safe for him to come down. Geralt nodded, and the bard made his way to the slain beast. And in an instant, the young man started reliving the whole fight.

He showed Geralt his pages of notes and asked him for more details, but stopped talking when Geralt held up a finger. This surprised the witcher, as his friend had never been patient with his stories, but the bard could see his witcher wasn't currently in the best of shapes. And so, together they made their way back into town with the head of the beast. Geralt turned it in to the farmer and collected his well earned coin.

And all the while, Jaskier didn't ask a single time about the fight, but instead strummed his lute, trying to find the perfect chords to create a beautiful melody. And all the while, The witcher didn't ask the bard to quiet his strumming or his singing, but instead listened to the voice beside him as they walked together alongside his mare.

Afterwards, the pair took to the roads, and the bard grew surprised his witcher let him tag along. Eventually, Jaskier started asking for more details on the fight with the berserker, and instead of growing ill with his friend, Geralt realized his patience was no longer running as thin with the bard, and he answered Jaskier's inquiries the best he could. For he realized he may actually not dislike travelling with his bard as he previously thought.


End file.
